CINCINNATI (AP) — Facility dogs are bringing moments of comfort and joy to children’s hospitals, offering far more than a friendly face. Unlike volunteer therapy dogs, these specially trained, full-time working dogs can enter sensitive areas and support patients throughout their hospital experience.
Experts say the use of facility dogs is growing at children’s hospitals nationwide as research continues to show benefits for young patients. Studies suggest even brief interactions can improve well-being, lower stress and pain levels, and help children feel more at ease in unfamiliar medical settings.
At places like Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, dogs such as Hadley provide emotional support during difficult procedures, encourage kids to stay active and add a sense of normalcy to hospital life. Their popularity extends beyond patient rooms, with photos decorating hallways, television appearances and mailboxes where children can send letters and drawings.
Five-year-old patient Calvin Owens stands for a photograph with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital facility dog Hadley with help from physical therapist Paige Torbet, right, during a physical therapy visit on the patio of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Five-year-old patient Calvin Owens stands for a photograph with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital facility dog Hadley with help from physical therapist Paige Torbet, right, during a physical therapy visit on the patio of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Schellie Scott, right, and her facility dog Hadley, left, look to Aspen Franklin, center left, from the hallway, because they couldn’t go in so soon after her transplant, as they begin painting together at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Schellie Scott, right, and her facility dog Hadley, left, look to Aspen Franklin, center left, from the hallway, because they couldn’t go in so soon after her transplant, as they begin painting together at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Child life assistant Schellie Scott, right, holds a peanut butter-covered plastic bag over a paint-dabbed canvas for facility dog Hadley to lick, to paint with patient Aspen Franklin, at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Child life assistant Schellie Scott, right, holds a peanut butter-covered plastic bag over a paint-dabbed canvas for facility dog Hadley to lick, to paint with patient Aspen Franklin, at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
A laminated image of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital facility dog Hadley, wearing a duck on her head, is posted in a hallway at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
A laminated image of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital facility dog Hadley, wearing a duck on her head, is posted in a hallway at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital facility dog Grover, left, looks to patient Kira Hodge at the hospital’s Seacrest Studios as they produce a closed-circuit television show beamed into patient rooms, at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital facility dog Grover, left, looks to patient Kira Hodge at the hospital’s Seacrest Studios as they produce a closed-circuit television show beamed into patient rooms, at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Five-year-old patient Calvin Owens, second from left, throws a ball for facility dog Hadley with physical therapist Paige Torbet, kneeling left, and child life assistant Schellie Scott, kneeling right, during a physical therapy visit on the patio of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Five-year-old patient Calvin Owens, second from left, throws a ball for facility dog Hadley with physical therapist Paige Torbet, kneeling left, and child life assistant Schellie Scott, kneeling right, during a physical therapy visit on the patio of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital facility dog Grover plays in the grassy facility dog play area at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital facility dog Grover plays in the grassy facility dog play area at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital facility dog Hadley sits at the feet of 11-year-old Bethany Striggles, who recently finished a chemotherapy treatment for bone cancer, in her room at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital facility dog Hadley sits at the feet of 11-year-old Bethany Striggles, who recently finished a chemotherapy treatment for bone cancer, in her room at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
An image of Schellie Scott, a child life assistant and former teacher, and the ID badge of her facility dog Hadley, hang with a leash and bandanna on a fence in the facility dog play area at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
An image of Schellie Scott, a child life assistant and former teacher, and the ID badge of her facility dog Hadley, hang with a leash and bandanna on a fence in the facility dog play area at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
A laminated image of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital facility dogs in graduation caps is posted in a hallway at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
A laminated image of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital facility dogs in graduation caps is posted in a hallway at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Child Life Specialist Maggie O’Grady, left, and facility dog Grover, center, work with patient Kira Hodge at the hospital’s Seacrest Studios to produce a closed-circuit television show beamed into patient rooms, at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Child Life Specialist Maggie O’Grady, left, and facility dog Grover, center, work with patient Kira Hodge at the hospital’s Seacrest Studios to produce a closed-circuit television show beamed into patient rooms, at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital facility dog Grover cuddles his Buzz Lightyear toy on his dog bed between patient visits in an office at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital facility dog Grover cuddles his Buzz Lightyear toy on his dog bed between patient visits in an office at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
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This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
